Sleep, Pretty Baby
by MarieStarbuck
Summary: "The shrill cry of an infant causes her to awaken instantly; her body alert after years of crude early morning body drops" Fluffy oneshot, her baby's cries wake Beckett.


_**A/N: Thank you to the lovely Manuxinhace (who I swear can pick up the scent of half written fic ten thousand miles away) for making me write and telling me this was worth continuing. Thank you to WhatTheFawkes for reading it for me (and for being awesome). As always with the oneshots I write it's stand-alone and rather short. This is probably a little OOC but technically it's AU and the writing process was basically puking clichés and fluff onto a page. I recently published a smutty Caskett oneshot called Skin To Skin if any of you feel inclined to check it out #ShamelessPlug. Thank you for reading, Marie x**_

**Disclaimer: Not mine, they belong to their respective owners.**

**Sleep, Pretty Baby**

The shrill cry of an infant causes her to awaken instantly; her body alert after years of crude early morning body drops. The low lighting does nothing to impede her swift journey through the house's peaceful interior; her daughter's cries the perfect motivator. As she enters the nursery the cries tail off into whimpers as Emma her mother. Her cheeks, still chubby with infancy, hold tear tracks yet her eyes are warm and trusting. The baby quiets in a matter of moments; the familiar warmth of her mother's arms enough to sooth her. Kate quickly runs through the checklist to find the reason for the crying but finds nothing; she was fed only an hour ago, she's neither too hot nor too cold, her diaper is clean and dry. Perhaps it is just her mother's presence she was seeking.

Emma curls up tightly against her mother's chest, settling instantly with the familiar contact. It is at that moment Castle enters the room; his footsteps muffled by the thick carpeting of the nursery's floor. The faint light finding its way through the room's curtains lends the nursery a quiet, intimate feeling as Castle wraps one arms around Kate's waist whilst placing a soft kiss to Emma's temple.

"Is she okay?" He whispers into Kate's ear, so as not to startle the baby.

"I think she was just lonely. She stopped as soon as I picked her up." Kate's voice is hushed but it holds a lilting tone that calms Emma more effectively than anything else.

Castle lets out a relieved sigh just as Kate begins to sing quietly to their daughter.

_Golden slumber kiss your eyes,__  
>Smiles <em>_await you when you rise.__  
><em>_Sleep, pretty baby,__  
><em>_Do not cry,__  
><em>_And I will sing you a lullaby._

_Care is heavy, therefore sleep,  
>While I o'er you watch do keep.<br>Sleep, pretty darling,  
>Do not cry,<br>And I will sing you a lullaby._

Emma fights sleep valiantly, her bright blue eyes following her mother's every movement as she sways in time to the lullaby. Eventually the seductive lethargy of her mother's voice combined with the warmth of her embrace and her scent wins out and Emma's drooping eyelids shut.

Kate continues to sway on the spot for a while longer. The lullaby drops to a faint hum before disappearing altogether as Emma is lowered gently into her crib. Castle removes his arm from around Kate's waist in order to place a kiss to the baby's forehead and to ensure the stuffed penguin is nearby for when Emma wakes. Last week Castle hadn't checked the stuffed toy was in the crib and when she woke Emma screamed bloody murder at the loss before the penguin was located and returned to her side. Kate takes a moment to run the pad of one finger gently down Emma's pink tinged cheek before whispering goodnight and following Castle out of the nursery.

Once outside Kate leans her back against the wall, a soft sigh escaping her lips.

"We make pretty babies, don't we Castle?"

"The prettiest," Castle murmurs, settling against the opposite wall of the corridor whilst trying to get Kate to meet his eyes. Something is obviously bothering her.

"What's this really about, Kate?"

"How would you feel about . . . another one?" She won't meet his eyes and her bottom lip is placed firmly between her teeth. Normally this would turn Rick on but now it only worries him.

"Another what, Kate?" He searches her face for a clue before it finally clicks "Another baby?"

Kate can only nod.

"You're pregnant?" Castle's face is deathly serious as he asks, which does nothing to calm Kate's nerves.

"I...I went to the Doctor today and he confirmed that I'm about 8 weeks along." Facts are good, facts are solid and predictable. Facts can't be disappointed or angry.

"We're having another baby? We're having another baby!" The grin that splits Castle's face is wider than anything Kate has ever seen.

He leans in to kiss her; their lips moving softly together as Castle wraps her in his embrace and lifts her enough to spin her. She laughs at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation- it's 2am, the apartment is dark, most of NY is asleep and Castle is spinning her around like she's five years old- such is life with Richard Castle. Despite everything they've been through they're happy and in love and having another baby.

When Castle finally puts her down both of them are laughing breathlessly. She winds an arm around his waist and leads him down the stairs and towards their bedroom. She's ecstatic, especially with how Castle is reacting, but it's too early to be up and all she wants to do is curl up next to her husband and sleep.

"Wait, where are we going to fit another baby?" Castle's eyes are wide with panic.

"Relax, babe. We've got seven months to figure it out." Kate smiles up at him as they cross the threshold to their bedroom and presses a brief kiss to his lips. Tomorrow would come soon enough, for now they sleep.


End file.
